Anti-homeless studs draw outrage

Metal spikes purportedly installed to stop homeless people sleeping near a doorway at a London building have caused outrage because of their insensitivity to rough sleepers.

Photos of the inch-long metal studs embedded in concrete in an alcove near the entrance to a block of flats on Southwark Bridge Road were posted to Facebook before circulating on Twitter, the Mirror reports.

The spikes have drawn comparison to the sharp spines used to stop pigeons landing on buildings and signs.

"The destitute are now considered vermin," Twitter user David Wells wrote.

A spokeswoman for UK charity Crisis said rough sleeping has risen 75 percent in London over the past three years.

"Behind these numbers are real people struggling with a lack of housing, cuts to benefits and cuts to homelessness services to help them rebuild their lives," Katharine Sacks-Jones said.

"We will never tackle rough sleeping with studs in the pavement. Instead we must deal with the causes."